In this closing teaching of the “Hurt to Whole” series, Leah introduces the concept of post-traumatic growth (PTG), the remarkable capacity of the human spirit to find resilience and even transformation after trauma. She reflects on her own personal journey and draws from trauma studies, explaining how adversity can lead us to new strengths, values…

In this insightful teaching, Leah delves into the significance of sharing our untold stories as part of the “Hurt to Whole” series. She begins with a powerful quote from Maya Angelou, connecting it to the process of trauma recovery that involves safety, remembrance, and reconnection. Leah explains how the Christian faith itself can be seen as a pos…

In this special service, Leah bridges the themes of the “Hurt to Whole” series with Caleb’s renaming ceremony, highlighting the profound concept of embodiment. She speaks to how our bodies carry the imprints of trauma and, equally, the pathways to healing, emphasizing that true wholeness involves connecting deeply with our physical selves. Reflecti…

Join Leah as she leads us into the transformative new “Hurt to Whole” series, where she explores the deep connections between trauma, healing, and spirituality. Reflecting on her father’s experience with PTSD and her own year-long study of trauma care, she sheds light on how trauma affects our bodies, minds, and relationships. In this session, Leah…

Join Leah as she concludes the "Sacred Sources" series with a captivating look at biblical interpretation. Drawing inspiration from the Greek god Hermes, Leah introduces us to the art and science of hermeneutics – the practice of deriving meaning from texts. She expertly guides us through various interpretive lenses used throughout history, from ea…

In this Sunday’s teaching, Leah starts off with a light-hearted anecdote involving a text message mix-up during an airport pick-up, highlighting the generational differences in communication. This sets the stage for a deeper exploration of the New Testament Epistles, a collection of letters that hold significant value in the Christian tradition. We…

In today’s teaching, Leah unpacks the complexities of the New Testament Gospels as part of the summer series, “Sacred Sources.” During seminary, many students face a pivotal moment when they realize the Bible’s formation is more complex than previously imagined. This often leads to a crisis of faith, but it can also lead to a more mature and nuance…

Discover the captivating story of the Bedouin shepherds whose curiosity in 1947 unearthed one of the most profound archaeological discoveries of our time: the Dead Sea Scrolls. Join Leah as she continues her “Sacred Sources” series, delving into these ancient texts, exploring their significance and how they shape our understanding of faith today. R…

Discover the transformative power of scripture in two poignant stories that span decades. From a freshman’s eye-opening Bible study experience to the unsettling rise of Christian nationalism, these tales explore how the Bible can inspire faith and compassion while also being misused to entrench bigotry and power. Join Pastor Leah on a journey throu…

Join Pastor Leah as she delves into the intersection of spirituality and mental health through the lens of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). This teaching unpacks the "Wise Mind" concept, highlighting how Jesus embodied this balance of emotion and reason in his actions and teachings. Through relatable anecdotes and biblical stories, Leah explor…

Step into a journey of discovery with Lead Pastor Leah as she shares a heartwarming anecdote about her daughter's profound insight that reshaped her perception of God. Set against the backdrop of Pride Month, Leah leads us into the realm of Queer Theology, unraveling its significance in navigating complex aspects of faith and identity. Through the …

Embark on a transformative journey of spiritual exploration with this Sunday’s enlightening discourse. Inspired by personal encounters and sacred sites like the Temple Mount, our guest speaker invites you to transcend the confines of singular belief systems and embrace the richness of spiritual diversity. Delve into "omnism," advocating respect for…

Embark on a soul-stirring exploration with Leah as she ventures into the depths of theodicy, seeking to unravel the tangled threads of suffering and faith. Reflecting on poignant personal moments and insights gleaned from her studies, Leah guides listeners through four thought-provoking models that grapple with the age-old question: where is God in…

Embark on a transformative journey with Leah in her thought-provoking teaching series, "Navigating the Maze: Finding God in the Midst of Complexity," where she skilfully interweaves profound insights from Colum McCann's novel "Apeirogon" with real-life narratives of hope and reconciliation. Drawing upon the poignant experiences of Basaam Aramin and…

Step into the realm of faith and doubt with Cara Meredith, our special guest speaker, as she guides us through a rich exploration of Thomas's encounter with the risen Christ. In this week's Sunday service, delve into the complexities of belief and disbelief, as we unpack the narrative from John 20:24-31. Discover how Thomas, often labeled "The Doub…

Embark on a captivating exploration with Leah as she delves into the ancient Greek myth of Theseus, Ariadne, and the Minotaur, seamlessly weaving it into our contemporary struggles in her latest teaching series, "Navigating the Maze: Finding God in Complexity." Leah highlights the challenges of navigating modern-day mazes, addressing collective tra…

Connie Barker is a white cis lesbian and former aspiring academic who has been living at the interesting intersection of Environmental Illness, Queerness, Disability and adult-onset Christian faith for almost 40 years. In this Sunday’s teaching, she shares some stories that hopefully have something to say about making peace. Listen to or watch the …

Discover profound insights with Yu-Shuan Tarango-Sho, founding Director of Sacred Roots, as we explore "Showing up for Liberation." With inspiration drawn from Dr. Robin Wall Kimmerer and Dr. Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Yu-Shuan navigates the intersection of spirituality and collective wellness, embracing the both/and paradigm. Through Yu-Shuan's guidance, w…

Join Leah in this thought-provoking reflection as she explores the profound tension in Jesus' teachings about peace. Drawing parallels between the fictional dystopia of Panem in The Hunger Games and the historical context of Jesus in the Pax Romana, she delves into the contrast between worldly peace, enforced by oppressive powers, and the divine pe…

Join Leah as she reflects on the events of January 6th, particularly the attack on the Capitol in 2021, and explores the concept of peacemaking in the context of current challenges. She connects the story of the Magi in the Bible, particularly their role as "religious strangers," to the idea of “holy envy”—finding beauty in other traditions without…

Journey into the sacred silence of Advent with this insightful sermon as Leah explores the biblical story of Elizabeth and Zechariah. Delve into the mystery of their encounters with the divine, as Zechariah's silence and Elizabeth's voluntary seclusion unfold into profound moments of spiritual revelation. Discover the transformative power of silenc…

Join Leah for an engaging exploration of these thought-provoking topics and gain a deeper understanding of their relevance today as she delves into the enigmatic parables of Jesus, including a teaching story by AJ Levine—a Jewish New Testament scholar—and an analysis of a famous parable from the Gospel of Matthew. The teaching also addresses the cu…

Explore the unexpected wisdom in this captivating teaching series. Join the thought-provoking discussion on growing in action, inspired by Jesus' parables. Unravel the mystery of the “Dishonest Manager” as we delve into the power of generosity and building relationships that transcend worldly wealth. Listen or watch the teaching and be part of a co…

Join us for a special collaborative discussion on Haven's identity and action steps this Sunday. Your voice matters as we build on the insights from our retreat. If you’d like to contribute your voice, watch the video or listen to the audio below and fill out the provided Google Form. Let's shape our vibrant community together!…

Join Leah as she discusses the discovery of the essential components of trust. Engage in the discussion on the core pillars of trust - ability, integrity, and benevolence - and witness how they interplay in fostering collaboration and connection. Delve into the insightful journey of Jesus and Simon Peter, discovering the lessons in personal connect…

Join us for this transformative teaching from Pastor Leah Martens as she delves into the powerful biblical story of Naaman's healing in 2 Kings 5. Through a captivating exploration, Leah uncovers the profound connection between humility and collaboration, shedding light on the necessary steps to foster meaningful collaboration within our faith comm…

Our service this Sunday featured the brilliant guest speaker Sandhya Jha, an esteemed activist, author, and speaker. In their thought-provoking discussion titled 'A People United?', Sandhya shared insightful perspectives and powerful messages that are sure to leave all viewers and listeners inspired and motivated to create positive change in their …

Starting off a new teaching series called "Dialogue with the Divine, Leah leads us in a discussion on prayer. She shares her personal journey, exploring the different forms and meanings of prayer in her life. Drawing from diverse religious contexts, Leah emphasizes the importance of communication in nurturing a relationship with God. Using the stor…

In her Easter Sunday sermon, Leah explores Mary Magdalene’s longing for Jesus, her persistence in finding him after discovering his tomb empty, and her exploration of the mystery of his absence and proclamation of hope that we are not alone; that our spiritual journey can be one of transformation, moving us from grief or loss to hope and acceptance…

On her final Sunday at Haven, Jeanne gives a teaching on a famous passage in Mathew, often called "the Beatitudes", in which she speaks directly as a woman of color to the BIPOC folk in the room. You can view Jeanne’s Paraphrase of the Beatitudes here and listen to or watch her teaching below.توسط Jeanne Wong

In her final teaching in the "Community Evolving" series, Leah take a look at an incident in the early church, as reported in Acts 15, and invites Haven to consider the way a group can work together through a process to pursue growth and change. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching below.…

This message is the second-to-last of Leah's teachings in the "Community Evolving" series. As the series comes to a close, we're looking at a couple of connected incidents in the book of Acts, with the hope that they may serve as a kind of case study in what collective evolution can look like. This first is a look at an incident in Acts 10, as the …

In this teaching, Leah continues the "Community Evolving" series, considering the role tradition plays in our personal and collective spiritual evolution. Shared in the midst of Advent 2022, Leah focuses on the nativity story in Matthew, and considers how that story is part of an evolving spiritual tradition, as well as how we can continue to parti…

In this third teaching in the “Community Evolving” series, Leah considers the implications of how a change in thinking impacts how we live and practice faith. We look at the way in which Jesus challenged the models of his day and encouraged his followers to be open to new ones to best serve the new things God was doing in his day, as we consider ho…

Leah shares the second teaching in the "Community Evolving" series, considering one potential model for how people often develop in their worldviews, including their spirituality. She also looks at how we may see that same progression evident in the life of Jesus, inviting us to evolve as he did. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the …

In this new series, Leah invites Haven into an exploration of how growth and change can be an important part of our spiritual and communal life, considering the ways in which we are individually evolving, as well as the evolving we are doing communally. This first teaching introduces the topic and considers how our tradition points to a faith that …

This is the third and final teaching from Pastor Leah Martens in her "Liberating Return" series. This teaching on the "Return to Purpose" looks at how her summer sabbatical and recent current events have impacted her own thinking about her sense of purpose, as well as purpose for Haven. It also draws upon the story of Esther from the Hebrew Bible. …

In this message, Leah shares the second of three teachings on the "liberating returns" she experienced during her sabbatical. This teaching focuses on the return to significant relationships, and considers how we might adjust the quality of our presence to experience life-giving connection with others we care about. Review Leah’s notes here and lis…

In this message, Leah shares the first of three teachings on the "liberating returns" she experienced during her sabbatical. The first is focused on the return to one's self, and how that also impacts the return to Source. The teaching ends with an exercise to help each of us connect with self and Source. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or w…

This week, Aiden Yang shares his journey to recognizing himself as God’s beloved son. You can listen to or view his teaching below:توسط Aiden Yang

Sylvia Williams shares some of her own journey of liberating spirituality. (We acknowledges that there were challenges with the audio on this recording, but believe it is still worthwhile to provide a record of this teaching, despite these challenges.)توسط Sylvia Williams

In this week's talk, Jeanne discusses her liberation journey and invites haven into thinking about what a liberated spiritual community would look like, noting that, Liberation isn't tied up in a neat bow. It's learning to change that narrative for myself. The hardest thing is that it's full of emotion, but it's a journey that I started several yea…

In this week’s message, Leah reflects on singing, performance, being ourselves, and setting aside time for restoration and reconnection, as she will be doing on her summer sabbatical: “Jesus regularly took time to separate from the group. At times he withdrew by himself. At times he brought his closest followers with him. At times he wanted to pray…

On this Easter Sunday, Leah recognizes the "resurrection moment" we are in as we continue to recover from the losses of the Covid Pandemic, and also reflects on the complicated nature of the life after loss. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or view the teaching below.توسط Leah Martens

A Traditional Russian Icon of The Good Samaritan. Anonymous artist; dated end of XVIII c. Online source here. In this final teaching Leah's series on parables, she covers one of the most famous, commonly known as "The Good Samaritan", and considers how a deeper look may make the story more challenging and important than many of us have come to beli…

As "A Story-Shaped Faith" continues, Leah tackles another challenging parable of Jesus, often known as "The Wheat and the Weeds". In it, she explores how we confront the evils in our time without making the problems even bigger. Review Leah’s notes here and listen to or watch the teaching.توسط Leah Martens

In this first Sunday of Lent, 2022, Leah continues our series on parables ("A Story-Shaped Faith") with a look at the story commonly known as the Workers and the Vineyard. She also invites the community to go beyond comprehension and move into practice with a set of suggested practices for the week. We will continue to offer suggested practices in …

In this second teaching in the "Story-Shaped Faith" series, Leah considers a familiar parable, "The Prodigal Son", and challenges listeners to be open to viewing it in a new way. Review Leah’s notes and listen to or watch the teaching below.توسط Leah Martens

Leah begins a new teaching series on the parables of Jesus, called "A Story-Shaped Faith". In this first teaching in the series, Leah considers how the genre of parables were intended to function in the ancient world and what the famous Parable of the Sower might tell us about their import in shaping our spirituality. Review Leah’s notes here and l…

On the first Sunday of the year, Haven meets virtually and considers together the traditional Epiphany story Matthew tells of Magi coming from the East to worship the infant Jesus. View Leah’s notes here and watch or listen to the teaching below.توسط Leah Martens